DAVENPORT, Fla. -- The Grove City College baseball team opened its Spring Break trip to the RussMatt Invitational in central Florida by winning two of the squad's first three games. Friday, Grove City kicked off the trip with a 23-9 victory over John Jay. 

Following a 13-10 setback Saturday to Concordia (Ill.), the Wolverines rebounded March 1 for an 11-7 win over previously-undefeated St. Olaf (3-1). 

Grove City (3-3) jumped out to an 8-0 lead against John Jay and then broke open the game with an eight-run sixth inning. Seven of Grove City's 17 hits went for extra bases, including three doubles from senior first baseman Colin Marinpetro (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny).

Freshman third baseman Nick Remish (Norristown, Pa./Methacton) doubled twice while junior second baseman Adam Weber (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) and junior right fielder Caleb Backos (Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Christian) both tripled.

Marinpetro went 4 for 5 with four runs scored and four runs batted in. Junior left fielder David Chandler (Leesburg, Va./St. Paul's) went 3 for 4 with three runs scored. Backos, Remish, senior center fielder Nick Sampson (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) and junior DH Dan Luko (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) all finished with two hits. Weber knocked in three runs.

Junior Jack Houston (Vienna, Va./Vienna) earned the pitching win after allowing one run in three innings of relief. Freshman Ethan Lingrell (Ottawa, Ontario/Veritas Academy) started and allowed one earned run in two innings. Freshman Jack Guiffre (Farmington, N.Y./Victor) pitched a scoreless sixth inning while junior Wil Peters (Mesa, Ariz./Westwood) and sophomore Corey Veverka (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) combined to pitch the seventh inning. 

The 10-run mercy rule halted the game after seven innings.

Marinpetro singled in Sampson and Chandler doubled home Luko to give Grove City an early 2-0 lead against Concordia. Remish belted a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning but Grove City could not rally from an early 9-2 deficit.

The Wolverines collected 16 hits, paced by Marinpetro's 3-for-5 outing. Chandler, Weber and freshman catcher Johnny Reyes (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) all doubled. Chandler, Luko, Remish, Reyes and Sampson each finished with two hits. All nine offensive starters had at least one hit for Grove City.

Freshman pitcher Noah Mackie (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) started and took the defeat. Freshman Wyatt Hopson (Middletown, Md./Middletown) followed with two innings of relief. Rookie Graham Romer (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) pitched the final five innings in relief and allowed one run. Romer fanned six men. 

The Wolverines then rebounded for a come-from-behind win over St. Olaf. Grove City forged a 7-7 tie in the sixth inning when Weber singled in Reyes. Sampson's bases-clearing double in the bottom of the eighth broke the tie as Backos, Weber and senior shortstop Raymond Stierer (Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian) all scored. 

Reyes doubled while Stierer added his second successful squeeze bunt of the trip in the victory. Chandler, Remish and Weber all finished with two hits. Remish also knocked in three runs.

Freshman Caz Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian) earned the victory by pitching the final three innings. He allowed one hit and no runs. Senior Kenny Lavrich (Franklin, Pa./Cranberry) struck out 11 men in six innings. He yielded seven hits.

Grove City returns to action Monday at 11:15 a.m. by facing Clark (Mass.) in Davenport, Fla.